I hear that a lot and usually assume it's a rhetorical question. Of course I believe it... school's out, Father's Day and the summer solstice are behind us, and it's HOT here in Texas.

But when I hear a client ask that question, it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It almost always means s/he is behind the timeline for getting the year's goals accomplished. They usually have one of two excuses: I haven't had time, or I'm waiting until [fill in the blank] to get started.

Have you ever gotten sympathy for not having enough time? Ever?

I certainly haven't. That's because it's a prioritization problem, not a workload problem. We often give eloquent lip service to our priorities when in reality we're modeling something completely different. Do that as a leader and you can derail the whole organization.

Don't believe me? Nothing reflects your priorities like your calendar. Write out what you believe to be your top three or five priorities, and then scan your calendar for how much time you devote to them. Probably not enough. In today's challenging times, it's really easy to get distracted with things that mean little to our business, but can mean everything to our credibility as a leader.

Stay focused.

There's a ton of change going on around us, and that can be disconcerting. Most of us are accustomed to believing we control or influence much of the change in our organizations. Now, though, there's a fair amount of change affecting us from outside the organization that we don't control and can't influence. I'm not touting "victim mentality" at all; merely that we may have a new level of discomfort in not having a high degree of control over some of these changes and challenges.

Be cognizant of that -- your staff is watching. Your folks look to you for calm, direction, and demonstrated leadership. They can panic and worry without your help (some are downright good at it) ... they need you to be the positive example of leadership, setting the stage and direction for their efforts. Regardless of environmental challenges.

To belabor an obvious point, leading is easy... until it isn't. These times require a special kind of leadership. One that commands attention, respect, and followership.

Be that kind of leader. And make sure those other leaders in the organization are equipped to do the same.

Give us a call if we can help with that.

Finally, we've closed out our annual Survey of Senior Leadership, and thanks again to all of you who participated. We value your inputs and will get the results back to you via email as quickly as possible. We'll share the results with everyone else in the next newsletter and on the Triangle Performance website. Kevin B's piece below gives a sneak peek at your biggest concerns.

Featured Articles

Where Is Everybody?

-The war for talent rages on...

by D. Kevin Berchelmann

Don't get caught with your pants down.

That idiom has its origins in the Roman Emperor Caracalla, later known as Marcus Aurelius. He was known as one of the bad-ass Emperors somewhere before 200AD. Legend has it he was killed while relieving himself, hence "with his pants down." Though it may actually have been a robe. Or chainmail. Whatever he was wearing, he had it down and he was killed. Going forward, warriors took care of their business with sword in hand, so not to be "caught with their pants down."

How many of you are growing weary of pundits and advice-givers obsessing over Millennials taking over the workplace?

You can put your hands down. Me too.

And we Boomers and Gen Xers aren't the only ones. A very unscientific poll of 100% of the Millennials in my immediate family reveals that they're both sick and tired of being stereotyped with the Millennial label as one big spoiled, needy, homogeneous cliché. Their reasons are valid: they're not all the same, and they generally want the same things from work that generations before them have wanted.

In this section, we take a look at recent news and events, and make a gut-reaction determination for three categories:

LeadershipLeader

Demonstrating Clear, Personal Leadership

Leadership Milquetoast

Mediocrity in LeadershipUsually an Opportunity Not Taken, or Similar

Leadership Laggard

Leadership Has Its Idiots, We Show You Who They Are

"A violation of the company's business practices along with a lack of full disclosure... was unacceptable to the board." LendingClub's board shows its CEO the door because flexible integrity doesn't cut it in a business based on trust.

Comparing my wait in a VA hospital to a line at Disney World wasn't as insulting as his non-apology. VA Secretary and former Leadership Laggard Bob McDonald returns to our newsletter after putting his foot in his mouth and deciding to leave it there.

We can help you answer that question. Take a complimentary (yes, free) assessment yourself, or use it to find out more about candidates. Create a benchmark for skills in your organization, or use it as a template for coaching efforts. Click here to take the assessment and receive a complimentary Personality Profile report.

Triangle in the News

Corporate Compliance Insights

KevinBerchelmann'sarticleComing Together - The People Side of Merger Integration